If you are a new user who has just bought a
computer
from a local or
otherwise computer store, and they have not included the disks to
install
any and all of the software on your system, go back and raise hell
until
they provide them to you.
That last tip applies especially to your
operating system
software install disks. You can't hope to fix your system if you don't
even have install disks for your operating system. Further, in Windows
95/98 you will not be able to do many system configuration tasks, or
even
add new hardware without that CD that Windows 95 or 98 came on.
Make copies of all of your system files on floppy disks
and store them
in a safe place away from magnets like the monitor and speakers. For a
list of these files and how to make copies of them see the following
pages:
Hardware Settings
Now make a list of all of the hardware setting for your
system which
are listed in the CMOS. If you don't know how to get into the CMOS
setup,
just hit DEL while your system is booting up. [if you have an AMI bios]
The Phoenix BIOS and Award BIOS both have other keys you have to hit
during
boot up to access the CMOS setup screens, and there will be a prompt
during
boot up which will tell you which key to hit.
Now, if you're on Windows 3.1 or just plain dos, exit to
the dos prompt
and run msd.exe. This is the Microsoft Diagnostics which is included
with
dos. Don't run it from within Windows, as it won't report correct
information
if you do. It will list many things about your system, and has the
option
to print them out. Do print them out, and start a notebook to store
these
nuggets of information in.
In Windows 95 you can get a much more extensive list of
hardware settings
printed out by using the following sequence of commands.
Start, Control Panel, System, click the Devices tab,
then click the
Print button.
Again, store this printed information in a notebook for
safe keeping.
User manuals
Manuals are also a necessity when trying to figure out
what may be wrong
with your system or parts of it. You should have user manuals for each
of the following hardware items in your system. If they weren't
provided
with your system, once again, go to the merchant and make a fuss until
they give them to you.
- Motherboard
- Video card
- Sound Board
- Scanner
- Printer
- Monitor [not always available]
- Modem
- CD Rom drive and interface card if any
- Bus mouse interface card
Hard drives don't usually come with a user manual, but there may be a
card
listing the jumper settings and the CMOS parameters for the drive. If
not,
the manufacturers list this information in the support sections of
their
web sites.
Ok, so you bought a used system, or no amount of
cajoling, crying, begging,
pleading, or threatening will induce the computer store to provide you
with the missing manuals. What do you do? No, don't go get a gun and
shoot
the salesman, you're on the net! You can find this information in many
places, one of the best being the web site of the manufacturer of the
particular
piece of hardware you need information on.
Every interface card and device in your computer has an
FCC ID number
on it somewhere. Often the fastest way to track down the manufacturer's
web site is to go the the FCC
ID
Search page, and do a search on the number. If your system is very
old you may also be able to find information on it at the Obsolete
Computer Museum.
Device Drivers
Device drivers are bits of software used by the
operating system to
communicate with many of the hardware devices in your system. When you
buy a device it will have disks with it which include the necessary
device
drivers for any operating systems it will work with. Make sure you have
these disks! If you don't have them, you can once again try to get them
from the merchant you bought the device from or download them from the
manufacturer's web sites. If you can't find their web site, give the Drivers
Headquarters a try.
Once you've done all of this congratulations you've
earned your scout
preparedness badge. 8-) [and some peace of mind in the bargain]
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